China's Environmental and Climate Governance

Over three decades of extraordinary economic development in China came at the tremendous expense of the environment. Despite having one of the world's most comprehensive environmental laws and regulations, China was among the most polluted globally until recent years. The Eighteenth Party Congress in November 2012 was a watershed event in China's environmental and ecological landscape. However, strong central directives to clean up the environment and curb carbon emissions have yielded mixed results. From the angle of environmental governance, this course examines how domestic actors and institutions affect policy making and implementation in China from the late twentieth century until today. It draws upon analytical frameworks from the disciplines of the social sciences to explain policy outputs and outcomes.